Sharpening the saw
Coming to you live from Barcelona, Spain - where I’ll be for the next year pursuing my academic goals.
My dad, before and since his untimely passing last year, has been a source of motivation for me. Growing up, I often found Post-it notes stuck to my bathroom mirror with quotes from historical greats, written in my dad’s neat handwriting. Quotes like:
“What you’re thinking is what you’re becoming” - Muhammad Ali
“Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.” - Winston Churchill
“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength.” Marcus Aurelius
I think I used to find these corny, but their timeliness helped them stick in my head. They would always show up on my mirror the day before a big cross country meet, or if he could tell I was struggling through something. Corny or not, I would leave it on my mirror for a while, then retire it to the book where I stored the rest of my dad’s favorite quotes.
The reason I bring this up is because there’s one Post-it note in particular that’s been on my mind lately:
This quote has given me peace of mind as I rationalize quitting my job at the New Mexico Finance Authority (my last day was August 2nd) as I prep to spend a year “sharpening my saw” in graduate school.
Yesterday I landed in Barcelona, Spain where I’ll study for the next year at the Barcelona School of Economics (BSE). In a few days, I’ll start the Economics of Energy, Climate Change, and Sustainability (ECCS) Master’s program. I’m incredibly excited (and nervous) as BSE was recently ranked the 9th best economics research institute in the world, and there’s a great lineup of professors set to provide a rigorous academic experience.
I chose BSE not just for its reputation as a top-ranked research institute, but because I can immerse myself in the Spanish language and experience Barcelona urbanism. Plus, master’s programs in Europe are less expensive than in the US. It ticks a lot of boxes for me.
I’m sad I’ll be outside New Mexico for a year, but I’m excited to return with a sharpened saw in 11-12 months. And I plan to share my educational and cultural experiences with you via Complex Effects along the way.
The program starts with a few brush-up courses on coding, mathematics, and statistics - and then proceeds with three terms of economics, finance, and data analysis classes - many of the classes geared toward climate change. Here are a few classes I’m especially excited about:
During the third and final term, I’ll apply my new knowledge to a capstone project in which I hope to focus on New Mexico. I have a few ideas for this already, but if you have any good New Mexico-focused ideas for my capstone project, leave them in the comments or email me at aanaya@complexeffects.com.
I’d like to thank the New Mexico Finance Authority for giving me a fantastic place to work over the past couple of years. My colleagues were brilliant, the work was rewarding, and I learned more about the Land of Enchantment than I could’ve imagined. If you ever get the chance to work for NMFA, take it.
It’s an exciting time for me and this blog, and I’m grateful to all my subscribers who continue to support me. Time to sharpen up.
P.S. Send green chile!
Sou proud of you. Thanks for sharing these moments about your dad and following all the little messages. Good luck on your schooling and I'll try to send green chili.